The latest article from Radiology, August 8, 2012, was reported on by HealthImaging.  The results seem conclusive that CCTA can now be depended upon for raising the bar for diagnosing CAD in patients with previously abnormal SPECT scans. But do the results tell the whole story? That’s the question to be answered. Clearly the specificity is better with CCTA but the authors admit the SPECT studies were performed at many sites and not standardized by equipment or protocol. The CCTA was done in a standardized manner. PET might have provided a better result than the other two but what are we seeking? It appears we are still technology centric rather than disease centric.

Read the report at HealthImaging and think about where we go from here.